It should concern all of the people of Guyana, not only Region 10, that a multi-faceted agreement to address the origins of the unrest on July 18, 2012 that claimed three lives and sparked mayhem in Linden is yet to produce a single tangible result.
As reported in Stabroek News on January 6th, 2014, more than sixteen months after the landmark deal was signed between the government and Region 10 to end the five weeks of strife over electricity tariffs none of the committees set up have produced results and the long-awaited TV station is still not on air.
This malaise dishonours those killed and wounded in these protests and underlines the dismal failure of governance at the level of the executive, Parliament and local government. There must be at least a score of persons drawn from all of these branches with direct responsibility for steering the various committees and initiatives to conclusion. They have all failed miserably.
Stagnation in the execution of agreements is a hallmark of PPP/C governance going back to the dialogue rounds with the late President Desmond Hoyte and his successor as Opposition Leader, Mr Robert Corbin. It is difficult to hold the PPP/C to its word and it is adept at finding myriad excuses to cover the absence of progress.
Considering the dislocation caused to the economy by the 2012 protests which virtually cut off the interior from the coastland, one would have thought that the government would have been keen to diligently bring these matters to a conclusion. Moreover, it is its solemn responsibility to do so as per the agreement signed with the Upper Berbice/Upper Demerara administration.
How does one then rationalize its failure to press forward on the agreement for the TV station for Lindeners who have been fed only with state television broadcasting. The government has already made several attempts to excuse itself on this matter by first arguing that the region has to apply to the broadcasting authority and comply with new requirements under the law even though a bevy of its handpicked choices were surreptitiously conferred with broadcast licences in November 2011. Recently, it has also been argued on its behalf that a High Court case on broadcasting licences would have to be concluded before Linden’s TV station can be addressed.
Astoundingly, the committee on the core issue of the power tariffs has been stalled for a year. Since the original chairman of the committee quit, the two sides have been unable to ratify a new appointment. This committee is tasked with reviewing the existing provision and consumption of electricity in Linden, including the history, the costs, the tariff structure, and the subsidies; considering arrangements to provide electricity to the Linden community and the tariffs to sustain such arrangements within a sustainable time frame. It is also to examine Region 10’s economic circumstances inclusive of the affordability of the increased cost; look at the advantages and disadvantages of the integration of the supply of electricity in the Linden area into the national grid; and, make recommendations on cost saving measures and options for alternative energy. These areas if assiduously investigated would provide a fair basis for determining what tariffs should be paid by Lindeners and how this should be phased in. The committee’s brief has the potential for serious and defining work on a vexing issue and could become a multi-stakeholder model in other areas. Alas, it languishes. The economic committee and the land committee have not fared any better.
It may be that in the sixteen months since the unrest at Linden the government feels it has the situation completely under control and there can be no recurrence of the shutting down of routes to the interior. However, there is still the damning matter of its covenant with the people of Region 10.
While the government must undoubtedly take flak over the stalled deal, in equal measure the Region 10 administration must be held accountable. It is the direct representative of the people engaging with the government on the question of tariffs. By signing this deal with the government, the region put wind in the sails of the people and led them to think that there would be some hope for progress , not only on the issue of tariffs but on the broader matters of the economic situation in the region and the right to access broadcasting of its choice. Without anything tangible to assure the people of the region that their concerns have been taken seriously by the government, the regional administration risks losing its credibility and influence. If and when the issue comes to the fore again the region will have great difficulty convincing the people that it can be entrusted with prosecuting itheir case.
As to Parliament, both APNU and AFC have at different periods jockeyed to be seen as championing the rights and cause of the people of the region. Yet there is no sign that they attached any energy or effort in keeping an eye on the fate of the deal and trying to provide some impetus. The one-seat majority held by the opposition has again failed to deliver, this time on what should have been a straight-forward orchestration of the various committees and implementation of decisions.
This is not the time for incandescent rhetoric and recriminations. The signatories to the agreement and Parliament should immediately begin the task of enlivening the committees and restoring hope to the people of Linden. What would be helpful would be a small meeting between the two sides perhaps in the presence of parliamentarians for a hard-nosed evaluation of what is needed to move the agreement on all fronts. This should then lead to a time-bound work plan to begin delivering. The television station, which was intended to be in operation within weeks of the deal in 2012, is logically the easiest to deliver.
Ultimately, only results will convince the people of the region that the government is committed to holding up its end of the bargain. It is for the regional administration to fully test the government’s sincerity.